How Act Your Age Should Have Ended
by TheAlmightyUltimix
Summary: An alternate take on how Phineas and Isabella's relationship beginning in Act Your Age should have gone.


I watched as Isabella's car pulled away, feeling my heart shattering into tinier pieces the farther away it got. I shoved his hands into the pockets of my jeans and turned to walk off in the other direction, pretending that the burning feeling in my eyes was just from a bit of dirt. Isabella had just come back to see me and say goodbye, like a good lifelong friend would. I almost wish she hadn't though, at least that way I wouldn't feel so disappointed.

I had felt so happy and so scared stiff when that truck had pulled away and I saw her sitting on my front step. After searching for her the entire day, I hadn't missed my chance to tell her. So I sat down with her, mentioned what Baljeet had told me as casually as I could and felt my heart rate triple when she said it was true. Then I felt it stop my heart stop all together when she said she had given up on me. Let me tell you, when someone says heartbreak feels like a knife in their chest, they aren't lying.

So I mustered all the courage I could and told her that it was around the same time that I started to realize how special she was to me. I waited while she was silent, praying in my head that she would say something to indicate that she still had feelings for me. But my heart was shattered when all she said was that it was "unfortunate timing". You know what I was saying earlier about the knife in the heart thing, yeah that's when I felt it.

So with my heart ripped in half I lamely muttered something about college, to which Isabella told me she'd be going to Tri-state State, and then asked me where I was going to go. I told her that I hadn't decided and left it at that. Really, I was too busy trying to not cry to tell her about my struggle to choose. A few more moments of awkward silence between us passed before Isabella stood up and said that she had to get going. So I stood up as well, savoured the hug she gave me, before she got in her car and drove off.

I don't know why I'm sad. What was I even hoping for? That Isabella still had romantic feelings for me after the constant heartbreak I must have put her though as kids? That she'd be willing to give _us_ a chance? That we could somehow make a long distance relationship work when she's going to be busy with college, the soccer team, RA, debate camp, and student government? There's a better chance of Perry being a secret agent than that ever happening.

Maybe I should go to one of those really impressive schools I got accepted into. Harvard, Stanford, Yale, they're all impressive schools that attract the best people. Maybe I'll find a girl there that's as amazing as Isabella. No, that's a ridicules thought, there's no woman in the world who is even half as amazing as Isabella. You know what, forget school altogether. What do I even need to go to school for anyways? I've been designing revolutionary technology since I was potty trained and it's gotten me a pretty big bank account. Yeah, screw school, I'll bypass that headache altogether and go straight into inventing. Who needs college? I'll go to my room now and shred all those stupid acceptance-

Realization suddenly dawned on me and I turned on my heel, sprinting back to my house. I burst thought the front door, tearing up the stairs to my room. It was still sitting on my desk, right where I left it. I grabbed it and tore back out of my house to the garage, grabbing my car keys off the rack and jumping into my car. The seatbelt and other safety precautions were forgotten as I waited impatiently for the garage door to open enough to let me go tearing out, almost t-boning Ferb and Vanessa as I backed into the street and stomped on the gas pedal.

Catching up to Isabella wasn't hard, she hadn't had that much of a head start and I must have been doing triple the speed limit. Regardless, I pulled up beside her at the light, jumping out and knocking on her window so hard I'm amazed I didn't shatter it.

"Phineas?" Isabella said when she climbed out of her car. "What are you doing?"

"I want to come with you!" I nearly screamed.

"W-what?!"

I pulled out the now slightly crumpled envelope. "I got accepted into Tri-state State as well and I want to go there so I can be with you." There, I said it, no going back now.

Isabella's face took on a pink tint. "P-Phineas, I... I can't let you do that. You could get into the best colleges in the world. I can't let you settle just because I'm going to Tri-state State."

"Screw the other schools!" I shouted. I grabbed both of her hands with mine and squeezed them tightly. "I want to be with you more than anything in the world. I spent four years of my life wishing we could be more than friends because I never picked up the hint while I had the chance. So please, tell me if there's still a chance for us!" I don't care if I sounded desperate or if I looked desperate, I was desperate to know.

Isabella bit her lip and looked at the ground instead of me. I felt my hopes being crushed with every second of silence that passed, but just as I was ready to let her go,

"There was always a chance." She looked back up, a tear running down her face, but a smile across her lips.

I smiled too, probably the happiest smile I had ever smiled. I brought one of my hands up and brushed the tear away with my thumb, cupping her face and slowly pulled her in for our first kiss. You know what's also true? The things people say about your first kiss, how everything else in the world just fades away, how fireworks go off inside you, how it feels like there's a million volts passing though you and how your whole brain goes numb. I felt all of those things at once when we kissed.

A need for air finally broke us apart. "Wow," was the only thing either of us could say.

"Well it's about time." The British voice cut though the air like a knife though hot butter. I whirled around as saw Ferb and Vanessa in their car parked just behind mine. "I was starting to fear that you two would never get together."

Isabella and I shared a look, before we let out a laugh. "So... I guess I'll see you in two weeks." Isabella said with a smile.

I smiled back at her, feeling more content than I ever had in my life. "Yes, yes you will." I watched Isabella get in her car and drive off, only this time there was a feeling of excitement instead of sadness.

That left only one thing to deal with.

"Oh, by the way." I casually walked up to my step-brother and lifelong companion, still happily grinning from ear to ear. "If you ever hold back important information that could change my life again," I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him up so our eyelevel and shot him the darkest glare I had ever given anyone. "I will use the molecular scrambler to rip your heart out!" I released him and headed back for my car, leaving Ferb wide eyed and shaking.

I have an acceptance letter to respond to.


End file.
